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Japan is not an asylum country

According to UNHCR statistics, Japan recognized only 91 asylum seekers as refugees during a 10-year period between 1992 and 2001, while many other advanced nations opened their doors to tens of thousands of refugees.

In the same period, Britain recognized 92,669, Canada 129,111, France 61,913, Germany 165,211, Italy 7,151 and the United States 113,537.

In other words, Japan has accepted 1000 times less refugees than Britain, which is has only 2/3 its land area. England alone, where 5/6 of the population lives, is scarely a third the size of Japan. We often hear Japanese saying that their country is small and overcrowded, which is true if you compare it to the US, Canada or Australia, but a non-sense by European standard. Japan is bigger than any European country, except France and Spain.

That also mean that the UK as recognised in average 25 refugees a day over the last 10 years. Every 4 days, more refugees are accepted in Britain than in Japan in 10 years. Startling.

Well, it would be interesting to know how many people applied for asylum in Japan. The low numbers of recognized asylum-seekers is of course related to the geographical isolation. A lot of refugees never even make it to Japan.

Some resources:

Asylum seekers find no refuge in Japan

"Last year (1999), Japan accepted a total of 11 refugees, down from 16 in 1998. Some 200 applications for refugee status are received annually by the government. A justice ministry official says applicants usually wait a year for the decision on their cases. But government officials say there is no grand plan against asylum seekers."

Despite the fact that the Japanese government ratified the Refugee Convention and Protocol in 1981, the overall environment surrounding the refugees and asylum-seekers requires much more improvement. While Indo-Chinese refugees in 1980s, admitted exceptionally on an annual quota basis through Cabinet Understanding, were provided full social services i.e. accommodation, education, health and vocational training, there are hardly any such services available to those who make an asylum claim and go through the Refugee Recognition Procedures. Against this, the issue of refugees and asylum-seekers has not received considerable publicity in both public administration and civil society.

That's funny because I saw a few women with a veil and headscarf in the streets around where I live and they look very much like people from Afghanisthan. The fact that they had 4 or 5 children with them make me think they are refugees. What else would they be doing in a residential area central Tokyo ? I have seen them several times, the first time was about 2 month ago.

The idea of geographical isolation doesn't make that much sense as an arguement. I'm in Australia and our numbers would most definitely be larger than that. I would consider us geographically isolated to at least the same degree. Depends upon where your refugees are coming from...!

@geographic isolation
True and that's the same for NZ or even Canada and the US. How many refugees come from Asia and Africa to North America, Australia and NZ. They must take a plane or have a very long ship journey. In any case, Japan would be as near. I guess there are more (South-)East-Asian regugees in any Western country than in Japan.

Hm, while it may not be only a question of geographical seclusion, the choice of asylum certainly depends on how high chances of being granted asylum are and on how local authorities treat asylum seekers during the procedure. It is obvious - and numbers seem to confirm it - that Japan isn't a recommended destination for political refugees.

@ veiled ladies
Have quite a few in Sapporo. Most are either University Grad students or wives of University Grad students.

@ immigration
Immigrating is probably easier than the US but takes more time.

@asylum
Japan is having enough trouble dealing with it's gaijin population let alone accepting people off boats. Japan patrols it's shorelines pretty heavily and has news on every once in the while about 10 Chinese escapees flooding the town.

Sorry, it just seem that the Chinese are the ones always on TV.

Several years ago 18 Chinese came over in a container. 8 dead and 10 were deported ASAP. Big news back then.

an criminal daitoru

AND FUJIMORI DAITORU?..HE IS AN DROBO?
I WANT TO SAYS AN CRIMINAL PERSONS?
HE IS LIVING NOW IN JAPAN ,WHAT KIND OF PERSON IS HE?
WHAT ABOUT THE JAPANESES LAWS?
money,money,,,money,money...
thanks friends i an an peruvian person..chao amigos.

When I was going through immigration at Atlanta's Hartsfiled, there was a family of refugees from Africa. They had scarves that read USRP. I guess that is U.S. Refugee Program.
This was just last June. I wonder how these people make it in these countries. Well, i know how.
I think they need to be somewhere safe especially knowing how dangerous Africa has been lately. I wish them well in my country.

Well its also a case of foreign populations in Japan. If you are going to immigrate to somewhere, typically you want to do so where there is a large population of your own people. People try canada because there already are large ethnic groupings present which makes assimilating far easier. Since there is nobody in Japan except Japanese, speaking a language unique in the world, I think a lot of people dismiss Japan as a place to flee. Im not sure about this, but I also think that the Japanese operate fewer foreign offices around the world, and that they are usually missions, which are very small and concealed in large office buildings with small staffs. Refugees probably try to go to larger ones like the American Embassy first, rather than attempting to go to the Japanese one.

Im also not discounting the fact that Japan can be very strict with its Immigration policy. But I am not up to speed with Japanese asylum laws and practices to conclusivly say.

I think Japan needs immigration to project and maintain its power in next 50 years. Otherwise, the problems like decreasing birth-rate, aging sociery, and inedequate funding to support the aging sector will take a toll eventually and bring down the country to a second class level. Well, there are more problems associated with this issue but I won't bore you with that. It's difficult for Japanese to swallow but they need to understand unless they go home and XXXX like rabbits, they will have to heavily rely on the immigrant population to sustain their economy down the line. I'm sure everyone knows that right?

Its easy to immigrate to a western country for refugees. you see if a Western country e.g. Austria, were to stand up and say enough is enough! no more!! they would be branded as racist and all hell would break loos! Remember Austria and Haider?
BUT Japan does the same thing except on a far far far great scale and nothing happens. WHY? well I believe for one Japan is a non-white country so people dont care......if it was a white country then people would love to hear the Hitler crap.....right wing bad people crap.....but any non-white country and do as they like. Look at the world around you its pathetic. Man I couldnt even get an apartment in Japan to rent I was turned down a couple of times, when I asked why they said "because Gaijin live differently to us"!!!! imagine if that happened in a white country!!!!!!!!
I dont think Japan should accept refugees or any immigrants they dont want to, but on the same token nor should western countries.....where does it end????? its pathetic.

Originally posted by itshokenme It's difficult for Japanese to swallow but they need to understand unless they go home and XXXX like rabbits, they will have to heavily rely on the immigrant population to sustain their economy down the line. I'm sure everyone knows that right?

Not me. Everyone may "know" this sort of thing in certain circles, but the line of thinking is almost entirely based in myth. The Japanese don't want or need to start welcoming great hordes of new foreigners into their crowded, ethnocentric little country. The current immigration system works reasonably well.

Reason is very clear: Japan is one of the most racist countries in the world. Many people still have this ideas for clean blood. There is a good movie called "GO" about this topic.

If a gouvernment would open their doors for foreigner, they would have problem to keep power, I think.

TOTAL RUBBISH! Racism has nothing to do with it. Infact the word "racism" is all too often used. Pretty soon if someone says they dont like "hip hop" they will be sued for being "racist". Total Rubbish. While I agree in some aspects that Japan IS "racist" or "ignorant" they are not when it comes to Asylum seekers. Why does a paki or iranian or whatever have the right to settle in a country where he has no ties with for the only reason that he wants to escape his OWN country for reasons of poverty. Countries like my own Australia are just PATHETIC. I believe in helping out. But in a realistic sense. Why not just send AID, not just money....but in the forms of food, Dr.s, Teachers etc etc. If the Government is no good then all good countries should ban together to try to help over throw the Government of such derelect countries.
By accepting refugees all we are doing is sweeping the problem under the carpet and giving people free tickets.
It is RUBBISH.

TOTAL RUBBISH! Racism has nothing to do with it. Infact the word "racism" is all too often used. Pretty soon if someone says they dont like "hip hop" they will be sued for being "racist". Total Rubbish. While I agree in some aspects that Japan IS "racist" or "ignorant" they are not when it comes to Asylum seekers. Why does a paki or iranian or whatever have the right to settle in a country where he has no ties with for the only reason that he wants to escape his OWN country for reasons of poverty. Countries like my own Australia are just PATHETIC. I believe in helping out. But in a realistic sense. Why not just send AID, not just money....but in the forms of food, Dr.s, Teachers etc etc. If the Government is no good then all good countries should ban together to try to help over throw the Government of such derelect countries.
By accepting refugees all we are doing is sweeping the problem under the carpet and giving people free tickets.
It is RUBBISH.

Yes you're right about this. Accepting refugees is only temporarily, but if nothing happens, it isn't. I see the same happening in my country and now something inevitable is happening. We've got a mass we can't control. We never thought of making them learn our language and values, but they are living here for decades. Their childeren speak horrible Dutch and they don't have a chance on the jobmarket. This is resulting in them become criminals (pretty high percentage).

I don't think Japan is a particularly racist country. Compared to Koreans, Chinese, Dutch, Belgians, Austrians, Arabs, Indians and lots of others, I would be inclined to say that the average Japanese is less racist.

When it comes to accepting immigrants, we have to consider the different histories of countries: Canada, the US and Australia are nearly entirely made up of immigrants. This affects their policies, and they all accept a lot of immigration. That said, Australia's immigration policies are historically racist: they always discriminated in favour of European immigrants and against immigrants from other parts of the world, including Asia, until recently. The western states of the US had a racist, anti-Asian policy during the 19th century. If they didn't have, California would probably be majority Asian today. Other than that, the US and Canada have accepted immigrants from pretty much anywhere for a long time. In Europe, there has always been substantial migration between countries, and this was rarely controlled until fairly recently (and now, of course, EU citizens can move between EU countries without any restrictions at all). For such countries to set up strict anti-immigration rules goes against the grain of history. If you contrast that with Asia, you find that Japan, China and Korea were all completely closed to foreigners for long periods of time between the 15th and the 19th centuries. For those countries to open themselves up to large-scale immigration equally goes against the grain of history.

My theory is that Westerners think Japanese are racist because they experience discrimination and negative stereotyping for the first time in Japan (though it is quite mild). It doesn't occur to them that in their home countries just as much, or more, discrimination and stereotyping takes place against immigrants daily.

Where migrants go depends on many factors including especially proximity and historical ties. For most, except those from China, Korea and the Philippines and SE Asia, neither history nor geography make Japan an obvious destination.

As to the Japanese stereotyping of migrants (especially those from China) as criminals, it is not wholly unjustified. Compared to the quite low level of crime in Japan, crime committed by migrants is relatively high (unless the statistics are falsified, which is possible).

As to the Japanese stereotyping of migrants (especially those from China) as criminals, it is not wholly unjustified. Compared to the quite low level of crime in Japan, crime committed by migrants is relatively high (unless the statistics are falsified, which is possible).

I agree with what you said above, but regarding this point, I'd say that it depends a lot on the origin of the immigrants and it is not always those the Japanese would think commit more crimes who do. Check my article about foreign crime in Japan (with all the official statistics + my proportional statistics per capita for each nationality). Although Chinese do top the list of criminals, along with Russians and Viertnamese, it is interesting to see that Koreans, who are often assimilated to Chinese (even in Japan), commit not only less crimes per capita than Japanese, but also than almost any other foreigners in Japan. And it is the Japanese police who admit this.

Maciamo, do you know if this statistics over ten years (91) will have doubled, or increased in the last year? Just curious question from me.

No. Considering the number of crime per capita (so regardless of the total number of foreigners in Japan, as they are increasing year by year), it's pretty stable or even decreasing. Some years have apparently strong increases (like 20%) of the total number of crimes and offences, but it might fall again the next year. Then let me remind that "violent crimes" only account for a tiny fraction of the total - the most common being visa overstaying (but can you call someone a "criminal" because they once overstayed their visa, even for just 1 day ? So what shall we call murderers ? The same ?).

That's funny because I saw a few women with a veil and headscarf in the streets around where I live and they look very much like people from Afghanisthan. The fact that they had 4 or 5 children with them make me think they are refugees. What else would they be doing in a residential area central Tokyo ? I have seen them several times, the first time was about 2 month ago.

How remarkably racist of you - you think this despite having the hard facts that there are almost no refugees in Japan.

Yet I walk by a Turkish or Indian restaurant every few blocks in Tokyo (in many cases the Indian restaurants are run by Muslim Indians or Pakistanis: sometimes you see a place advertising "Indian-style" food)... what do you imagine their wives and children look like and where do you think they live?